Figurine depicting a British soldier fighting a Chinese Boxer, 1900 (c)

Biscuit-fired porcelain, hand-painted, 1900 (c).

Issued in commemoration of the Boxer Rebellion of 1900, this figurine depicts an infantryman about to punch a Chinese man whom he is holding by his pigtail, having wrapped it around his throat. The cup is typical of the late-Victorian fashion for consumer goods bearing patriotic and imperialist heroes or other motifs.